Not A Normal Kidnapping
by vxwife
Summary: Seven years after being removed as the Sand's liaison to Konoha, Temari is kidnapped by Konoha's ANBU. Could there be a rational explanation?
1. Confusion

_What's going on? What happened? Where's my squad? Why am I being held? _

_I have to get out of here! I have to find them! I have to complete the mission! _

_Why isn't my body listening to me? I can't seem to move at all!_

Panic and fear start to creep into the woman's thoughts, pushing out the usual confidence that exudes from her body.

Not being able to control her body, the worst fears of any woman start to invade her mind like a virus.

_Okay. Calm down. This isn't the first time you've been kidnapped. Assess as much of the situation as you can before anything else happens._

_Can't open my eyes…can't see anything. _

_Can't move my body…can't feel around. _

_I can feel the body holding me. Too muscular to be female. (Of course __**I**__ wouldn't even want to meet the woman who could carry me for this long!) _

_He's holding me close. He must know that I will fight back as soon as I'm able. He's cautious._

_I can feel the breeze as we move. Each leap he makes._

_I can hear leaves moving. Three…no, four people jumping through the trees. I can hear the crunch of bark under their feet every so often; each one is different than the others._

_One of them is obviously female. I can smell the perfume. Well, it may be shampoo or soap but it definitely isn't anything a man would use! _

_I hate to think that I let myself get taken by a bunch of women! How lame! What kind of ninja am I?_

_One of them smells of oil. Not just any oil. Oil used to clean weapons. For me to be able to smell it, it means they've cleaned __**a lot**__ of weapons recently._

_The air is humid. I can smell that too. I can feel it on my skin. _

_Well, I'm definitely not in the Sand anymore. Anything else I'll need my eyesight for._

After what seems like hours, a little hope surfaces. She's able to drag her right eye open slightly.

_Ah! It's so blurry! How am I supposed to figure a way out of a situation if I can't see?! _

Slowly the images become sharper. Lines start to appear where blobs of color used to be. It's night, that much she can tell.

A lighter colored blob starts to appear. She guesses this is the face of her transporter.

_It may be night but even in the darkness I can tell that's too pale to be human._

She can almost make out a face.

_This has to be a dream…that's definitely not human._

_NO! It's a mask!_

Looking down to her captor's left shoulder, she saw his tattoo.

Her body was starting to obey her will. Every muscle tensed as both eyes opened wide at her sudden realization, confusion and shock written on her face.

Before she could even form words a hand appeared, inches from her face. It was glowing with green chakra.

She wanted to scream but her mouth wouldn't move. Her body was numb again. She started to slip off into another deep sleep.

_Don't you know who I am?! _

_We are allies! How can the Hokage order you to kidnap a dignitary of an allied nation?! _

_Let me go!_

_The Kazekage won't take kindly to Konoha's ANBU forcefully taking his sister!_

* * *

**Author's Note: **My first fanfic. To be honest, I just hope some one likes it. I'd also like some reviews. Good or bad, just please be nice. And of course, the more reviews I get, the more motivation I have to continue!

I do not own Naruto. If I did, I doubt I'd be publishing anything on here!


	2. The Beginning

_A couple days ago..._

Temari watched the horizon as she stood at the sand city's entrance. The sun was just starting to peak over the earth, sending rays of color across the desert sky.

_Ugh…it's going to get hot in a few hours and we have to travel the majority of the day to make good time. Where are those two idiots?_

Temari decided to at least enjoy the time of solitude. She watched the colors change in the sky until the pinks and oranges were gone. Then she ended up mesmerized by the wind's effect on the sand, watching the snakelike entities glide across the rippled floor.

After about 20 minutes, two figures emerged from between the great walls.

The first was short and rather petite. She was a frail and sickly looking creature, not like the shinobi she was supposed to represent.

Temari knew her name was Yuka from the briefing.

_Gentle flower, huh?_

"You're late!" she scolded.

"My apologies, Temari-sama-"

"Enough! We don't need to waste more time listening to your babbling."

She reminded Temari a little of Matsuri back when she was in the academy. But, Matsuri had grown a lot since then. She was someone to be feared now.

_Why on earth did Gaara assign her on this mission? _

_Come to think of it, how did she even graduate from the academy? _

_The instructors must be slacking off again. I guess I'm going to have to remedy that when we get back._

Her attention was drawn to the second figure now. He was the complete opposite of Yuka.

He towered over both girls and his shoulders were wider than the other two combined.

His uniform seemed to visually enhance every bulging muscle on his body.

His spiky brown hair reminded her of Kankuro but the strong features of his face set him apart from every other man in Suna, at least in her opinion.

Temari knew him well.

_Oi, if I could just look at him the entire way, this mission would be easy!_

The man stood about a foot in front of her now, smiling down in an adoring manner.

"The morning is almost as beautiful as you are, my Sand Princess!"

His voice was like velvet to her ears as he traced the back of his index finger down her cheek.

**BAM!**

Temari sent him flying several yards away from her with an uppercut!

"This will be a long trip if I have to keep reminding you not to touch me, Akira!"

The man's legs twitched before he could right himself and brush the sand from his uniform.

Yuka just watched from the sidelines, keeping her eyes to the ground. There was no way she was going to interfere, even with a glance.

_Might as well get this over with._

"Let's go."

"As you wish, darling," the man said while keeping at least an arm's length away but still with a grin on his face.

_Ugh, how lame. This is going to be a long trip._

The three shinobi set out across the desert just as the sun released its hold on the horizon.

Morning turned into early afternoon in silence, except for a few occasional "complimentary" outbursts from Akira.

_Ah, a village, finally. I can't wait to get some Suna Dango here. That's the best thing about this village._

They stopped just inside the city.

"We'll eat lunch here. Meet at the northern gate in half an hour."

"Yes, Temari-sama."

"Ah, Desert Blossom, why don't you and I…"

Akira didn't attempt to complete his query as the object of his affection was no longer in sight.

Temari walked into a small restaurant on the far side of town. When the waiter brought her tea, she placed an order of soup and dango then sat in silence.

There were only a handful of other people there, none of which even seemed to notice her. She smirked because of it and took a sip of tea.

_The desert sure dehydrates you._

Temari ate her small meal in silence…alone. But that didn't bother her.

Everyone in Suna knew who she was. She couldn't set foot on any street without being glanced at, and greeted more often than not.

Most of the time she just ignored them. The lucky ones got a slight nod. This didn't make her the most loved kunoichi in the village but if she afforded any more, she wouldn't have enough time to finish her tasks, yet alone sleep.

She took solace in her missions, in the chance to be unrecognized.

A chance to just blend in with the crowd.

_Guess that's all for today._

Temari took one last drink of tea and paid her bill.

After a few short minutes of walking, she had arrived at the northern gate only a few steps ahead of her teammates.

Without a word, they departed from the small town.

_I don't understand why Gaara felt it was necessary to give me a squad this time. _

_I've made this trip numerous times alone in the last 7 years. _

_It's not like I'm weaker than last month or forgot the way. _

_I was always allowed to travel to Konoha alone and I knew less about it then than I know about Iwagakure now!_

_Konoha. _

_I can't believe it's been 7 years since I've been there. I almost miss the place. _

_Its' simplicity and serenity make it unique among the hidden villages. It was always so calming. Even the people carried it with them._

Her thoughts drifted to the times she had traveled to the leaf village.

She may not have ever called the shinobi friends but when she was forced to interact as liaison for the chunin exams, a few bonds started to form.

With the exception of her brothers, she spent more time with the fighters in Konoha than any shinobi in Suna.

Of course, she wasn't expected to be civil to everyone in Suna, like she was in Konoha.

She'd never admit to missing them.

Maybe she just missed having interaction with people outside of work.

She looked back at the man behind her.

_He may be nice to look at but with his reputation, I can't even stand to have him touch me. _

_I have a feeling that if I ever agreed to meet him to eat I'd be mauled before I got into the restaurant. _

_I've seen him with other girls on my way home at night. He appears to be a gentleman but he only has one thing on his mind! _

_Pervert!_

Noticing Temari's glance, Akira speeds up to travel next to her.

"Hello my sweet!"

"…"

She didn't even bother to look his direction.

"You're eyes look so amazing against the lowering sun!"

_Damn it! How did I not realize it was getting so late?_

She turned her head to eye the girl behind her.

_Yuka has slowed down._

_I wanted to get farther tonight._

_We better stop soon or she'll be worthless tomorrow._

She looked over her shoulder at the trailing shinobi.

"Hey. We're going to get rooms at the next inn."

"Yes, Temari-sama."

Akira leaned toward her and whispered as seductively as possible while still maintaining speed.

"I can only hope that you intend to share my bed. It's always open to you."

_Men!_

* * *

Hatake Kakashi was sitting at his desk and, for once, not with an open orange covered book in front of him.

He was staring at the papers in front of him when a masked man appeared in front of the door.

"Yo. I didn't expect you to take so long, I sent for you 10 minutes ago," he said with a slight smirk under his mask.

"Eh. What can I do for you Hokage-sama?" he said from behind his mask while raising an arm to briefly scratch the back of his neck before placing both hands in his pockets.

The man didn't need to make excuses; he knew the newly appointed Hokage was not concerned with such matters. It was more important to get to the matter at hand.

"I'm assigning a new ANBU mission of top priority. We've received information that there's a group of rogue nin, hired by an anonymous bidder to prevent the Land of Earth and Land of Wind from signing a new peace treaty."

"That doesn't sound like it's a very pressing matter. New treaties can take years to be agreed upon."

"Suna's ambassador to Iwagakure left this morning to finalize the conditions. They've already been working on the treaty for years. Seven to be exact."

A sigh escaped from the masked man.

This was Kakashi's cue to continue. Kakashi knew he had the man's full attention.

"The Kazekage is to travel to Iwagakure next week. They're having a week-long festival in his honor with the signing of the treaty as the finale."

Kakashi stopped. He could have stated his deductions but it wasn't necessary. The two men thought too much alike.

"So, the best way for the nin to prevent the signing is to get rid of the ambassador. That buys them at least two weeks to make other plans and prevents them from dealing with the Kazekage directly…at least at first."

"Those were my thoughts."

"Have you notified the Kazekage?"

"I sent a messenger when I summoned you."

"Did you inform them of your plans?"

"Yes. I'll contact you with any information I receive. I doubt the Kazekage will be upset with my actions."

"Anything else I need to know?"

"…"

Kakashi knew it was going to come out sooner or later. Better go ahead and tell him now.

"Well, since I know how much you like working with women, you'll be pleased to know that the ambassador is a kunoichi!"

The man's shoulders dropped.

He couldn't keep the grin from his face. It was a good thing the lower part of his face was covered! Looking at his subordinate, Kakashi could tell that he was not pleased with this revelation.

"Ah…"

"Well, you better make your arrangements. You have full command of anyone you deem necessary. You've always been the strategist so I don't think I need to tell you to play it smart."

"Kakashi-sama."

The man gave a curt bow and disappeared.

_I probably should have told him that Temari is the ambassador. _

_It won't change the strategy, just his stress._

_This way will be easier for everyone involved._

* * *

The inn appeared in the distance.

Temari had stayed there before.

It was cheap and comfortable enough to get a good night's rest.

They walked in and Temari leads them to an older woman in the corner.

"Do you happen to have two rooms available, Matsuyo-sama?"

"Temari-san! How good to see you again! You know, I have two rooms free this evening."

The older woman wrapped her arm around Temari's arm and led her upstairs, her teammates following behind.

"It's been too long since you've been to see me, Temari-san."

"Yes, it has. I'm afraid there won't be many more visits to come either. This will be one of my last trips north."

"Oh, what a shame! Well, once you've settled down with a nice man you be sure to bring him up this way."

Temari rolled her eyes as her cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink.

_Don't give this idiot any ideas!_

Akira's eyes glistened at the conversation and ever so subtly forced himself close to Temari as the woman opened the first door.

Akira's hand slid around Temari's waist and he tried to pull her into the room, wishing the hostess goodnight.

Unfortunately for him, Temari's reflexes were as good as his were.

Her hand was up to his chest and pushing him through the door before he felt his legs give way.

She shut the door behind him before he crashed onto the floor.

Temari simply grinned calmly at the old woman while holding in a chuckle.

"The usual breakfast for you, Temari?"

"Yes, Matsuyo-sama."

"Very well, I'll see you in the morning. Rest well."

Temari and Yuka were shown to their room and within 10 minutes were asleep.

* * *

Three small ANBU teams left Konoha that afternoon.

One team headed to gather information on the mysterious man behind the money.

Another team to track the rogue nin that were said to be hired.

The last team headed out to track Suna's ambassador.


	3. En Route

I do not own Naruto.

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think!

* * *

Yuka and Temari headed downstairs soon after dawn.

The inn-keeper already had breakfast waiting.

As soon as the girls had sat down to eat, Akira's footsteps were heard.

"Good morning ladies," he greeted them.

"Good morning, Akira-san."

"Hn," was all he would receive from Temari.

The old lady entered the dining area after hearing commotion.

"Oh, I see you're all here now. Good, good. Eat before it gets cold."

With that, she turned around and headed back into the kitchen.

"It amazes me how you grow more appealing each day, love."

Akira sat down next to Temari and watched as she chewed her meal, a satisfied grin on his face.

Temari noticed that Yuka, sitting opposite her, trying to look anywhere but the table, with a slight blush to her cheeks.

_I don't blame her. I'd avoid it too._

_I should just rip his eyes out._

_That would hurt his pride._

_Maybe he'd leave me alone._

Without turning toward Akira, Temari addressed the issue, hoping to calm the young girl across from her.

"If you aren't going to eat, go settle payment with the woman."

Within a few heartbeats, Akira had piled a mountain of food in front of him.

The inn-keeper stopped in the doorway and all three women stared in disbelief as he began ingesting the selected rations.

_He better finish all of that._

_I don't want to look disrespectful because his eyes are bigger than his stomach!_

The group finished their breakfast rather quickly, much to the astonishment of all three women after witnessing Akira's display.

Soon they settled their debt and set out for the border of the Land of Earth.

_We should arrive at the border around noon._

_Good, we should make it well into the rock mountains by nightfall._

_Camping out in a rock cave may be difficult but it beats camping in the desert._

* * *

A brown hawk swooped down to a group of four masked ninjas travelling through the trees below. It was carrying a message for the leader.

It flew alongside the team until they stopped, then perched itself atop the leader's shoulder, allowing the message encased on its' leg to be removed.

The man read the message and they quickly resumed their journey, the bird flying back to its' home.

The team was swift. A normal 3-day expedition they could cut down to less than 2.

They were Konoha's elite. They've trained together for years to become so.

Of course there were weaknesses, but what made them such a feared team was that they were all aware of them.

As they zoomed through the forest, the leader was calculating. Planning. Adapting his strategy to include the information he'd just received.

He took comfort from the fact that they would operate alone.

The Land of Wind expressed "full confidence and gratitude in the safe return of the ambassador." The Country's efforts were to remain focused on the treaty with the Land of Earth to prevent war due to the circumstances, and protecting the Kazekage.

_Not that Gaara really needs protecting._

_There's no way that, under normal circumstances, the Kazekage would be so relenting. _

…_he knows..._

Ambassador's schedules, itinerary, and dealings are kept under lock and key.

_How did the hired nin find out? _

_Did the boss know or did he task them to find out?_

Either way, there was an insider.

_But which side has the traitor?_

He recalled some points of the message.

"…_due to the proximity of the treaty signing and the diplomatic procession to Iwagakure, all necessary precautions were observed…"_

"…_a male jounin and female genin were assigned to her as subordinates…"_

_In other words, she was given a bodyguard and an assistant. _

The Ambassador's identity and appearance were still unknown. It wouldn't matter though. Ambassadors were normally older shinobi, sometimes retired, who were knowledgeable in all diplomatic affairs. Much like Tsunade-sama was now. So…nothing like a genin.

_It should be easy to tell the two women apart._

_Unfortunately, we can't assume the other two shinobi are innocent. It would be easy for either one of them to send out information._

_If they are innocent and we tell help them, word may get back to the real traitor and they'll go into hiding. We wouldn't find the master._

_Guess we'll just have to put up a fight..._

_What a drag..._

* * *

The day progressed much like the one before it for the three Sand shinobi.

Temari kept her thoughts on the upcoming meeting.

Akira and Yuka both knew better than to disturb her so they kept pace silently.

Once they reached they reached the border, they stopped to eat the lunch that the inn-keeper had packed for them.

Apparently it wasn't enough as Akira had to dig into his pack for a few "extra" snacks he had packed.

_At least he's used to it._

"Now I know how he got so large," Temari said to Yuka when Akira had gone to relieve himself.

A small chuckle escaped from the girl.

_She sure is a strange one._

"Uh...Temari-sama?"

Temari could barely understand the small, high pitched voice of the girl to her side.

"What?"

"I was wondering..."

"Spit it out girl!"

"Well...what do you have against Akira-san? He seems to like you quite well."

"Yes, he does seem to."

"..."

_How should I put this?_

Temari didn't mind confiding in Yuka. For some reason, it was nice to talk about something different.

"Akira may be physically appealing and a smooth talker but he's also hot-headed. He doesn't think things through. He lets his emotions control him and ends up making mistakes during missions."

"What if you weren't on a mission?"

"That's the life of a ninja. We'll always have missions."

"..."

_I know what she's trying to get at._

_Normally I'd intimidate her more but I'd rather not have her bring it up again._

"Look, I've dedicated my life to our country. Everything I do is for Suna. We've all been trained to disregard our emotions."

"So…you may love Akira but you'll keep it a secret?"

"No."

_Why is she so interested in my personal life?_

"Yuka-san. If I am ever dumb enough to love a man, I will have to love every part of him. A man like Akira, who has a history of putting other people in danger, is not someone I can adore."

"But what about all the things he says to you? Most girls dream of that!"

"What good are his words if his actions can't confirm them?"

A crackling sound ended their conversation.

Akira emerged, sliding on his back side down an angled rock face and stopped right between the two women.

"Let's go. Enough playing around, idiot."

A few more hours of travel brought them to the daunting path across the rock mountains.

Their pace slowed but was still steady.

Once the sun started to set, Temari spotted a cave and they set up camp.

A fire was lit, tea and ramen were made, and sleeping bags were spread out.

After they had eaten, they all climbed into their respective sleeping bags, much to Akira's dismay. He had tried to convince Temari that there was more than enough room in his for both of them but she adamantly refused.

Temari turned her head to look at the sky. The rock formation around her covered all but a small sliver at the cave's mouth.

A sudden weariness swept over her.

_I have a bad feeling about tomorrow._

_Geez, what a waste! A clear sky and I can't even enjoy it!_

Yuka's breathing slowed.

_She'll be asleep soon._

"Hmmm..."

_He's asleep._

_Just go to sleep Temari._

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Even if she was able to calm her nerves about the next day's events, Akira's constant snoring and moaning kept them inflamed.

"Oooo...I like that thing you do with your tongue, baby."

_You've got to be kidding me!_

"Oh...yes!"

_How can Yuka sleep through this?_

"Ah...you're such a naughty girl!"

_Gaara's going to pay for this arrangement._

"Uh...that feels good!"

_I'm not listening to this all night._

Temari got up and walked over to the sleeping figure. Leaning down, she attempted to wake him.

"Akira."

"Ah yes, say my name!"

She was past frustration.

By now, Yuka was awake and witnessing the scene.

"AKIRA!"

"Oh...don't stop, Temari!"

Anger shot through her body. Her right foot landed a powerful kick to his ribs.

"Oof!"

He just lay there clenching his side.

Temari gave a slight smirk before turning from the man.

She stopped in her tracks when she heard a manly chuckle behind her.

"You know I like it rough, baby!"

_How can he still be sleeping?_

**WHACK!**

With one swift motion, Temari had retrieve her iron fan and forcefully bashed Akira over the head.

Silence.

_That's more like it._

_Now, to sleep._

She returned to her bed for the night and before lying her head down, turned to Yuka, who still sat staring with wide eyes.

"Goodnight Yuka."

"G-Goodnight, T-Temari-sama."

As soon as her head touched the ground, she was asleep.

* * *

The night wore on as the team searched the rock structures for signs of life.

Suddenly, flashes of light appeared on the far side of the mountain to the left of them.

Without a word, the team increased speed and changed direction.

_We may be too late._

_Those 2 better protect the old lady. I don't want to have to tell the Kazekage I failed a mission._

"Hey...the old lady is our concern. Fight if you need to but don't overdo it. We still have to get back."

Three nods wordlessly acknowledged the order. They didn't need to question it, he always knew what he was doing.

The moon shone on the face of the mountain as they rounded into view of the battlefield. There was a cave with a large ledge before it. A small fire in the mouth.

As they got closer, they could make out small figures.

Three at the cave entrance and three on the ledge.

Their pace was steady.

"I don't see an old lady." said the one with the rabbit mask, turning to the leader.

"Do you think she's in the cave?" came from the cat mask, turning as well.

"No. Gaara said there were only three."

"How are we supposed to know which woman to take then?" said the last, turning to face him.

His eyes focused on the battle as the others turned to apply their wits as well.

Both women were rather clumsy. Their ninjutsu and chakra control were weak.

_How can a genin be as skillful as a jounin ambassador?_

The smaller one was the closest to them, attempting to battle the enemy's Earth element rock shower.

The taller one, in the middle, was holding some kind of weapon and trying to blow the rocks away.

The male seemed to just be staring them down.

"Isn't that..." cat mask said.

He looked at the women again. Apparently he was supposed to recognize one of them.

_No..._

He couldn't deny it. The four masses of blond hair on her head. The fan in her hand. The scowl on her face.

"...Temari..." it was more of a hoarse whisper than an answer.

His subordinates shot their heads around to make sure they heard him correctly and await confirmation that she was the one to be taken.

He gave it with a sharp nod of his head.

Immediately, they separated. It was time for them to begin their synchronized attack.

First came the surprise beast. He was, by far, the most talented in taijutsu. His attacks couldn't be seen by most nin. They were rapid and deadly. He wasn't in it for blood though. This time it was just for protection. He needed to immobilize them.

The second attack came from the one they called the Weapons Mistress. She and the beast had an understanding. She knew where he was going to attack and he knew where she was going to aim. Even during training, they'd never injured each other. She too was only aiming to immobilize the others.

These two attacks combined usually caused enough confusion and distraction for the other two to get in and out of enemy territory with what they needed.

Not this time.

The largest male any of them had ever seen was holding on to his comrade by the arm, forcing her behind him and into the cave. She didn't look well.

_What the hell is wrong with her?_

She stumbled out of sight.

The beast and mistress had knocked all of the rogue nin unconscious. The Sand genin would soon pass out from the pain.

The beast charged the man.

As he rose to deliver a strong kick, the man turned and grabbed his ankle. He spun the beast around, crushing his ankle, tossing him into the wall.

The other three tensed. They didn't want to show him any mercy.

A tirade of various weapons shot down on him. He deflected many away with the katana that had been hidden on his back, but not enough. He fell to his knees.

Using his own katana, the mistress knocked him on the back of the head, knocking him out cold.

The third member, with the rabbit mask, rushed to the beast along with the mistress.

The leader knew the beast would be repaired soon. Turning away, he entered the cave to witness the lifeless body of the Sand ambassador.

Picking her up, he carried her toward the others.

"What's wrong with her?" the leader asked.

The woman with the rabbit mask looked over to inspect the woman, her hand still glowing with green chakra on the beast's ankle.

A large wound across her stomach gaped open.

Immediately, the green hand was on Temari's stomach attempting to repair some of the damage before they set off.

The leader looked at the weapon's mistress in the cat mask.

"Did you hit her?"

It wasn't accusatory, it was disbelieving.

"No."

"I know you don't want to hear this right now but she's been poisoned," the medical ninja stated.

"That would explain her poor fighting," the leader stated.

"The only other person with a weapon is the big guy," the cat mask said.

"Get his katana. See if there's poison on it," the leader ordered.

The girl in the cat mask grabbed the katana and held it before her.

"Yes."

The medical ninja asked for a sample of the poison to be taken so an antidote could be found. The mistress complied quickly.

"I will sedate her but she'll probably wake up on the way from the pain."

"Alright."

The green hand covered Temari's face.

After a few minutes, the four shinobi departed.

The beast's ankle was tender but mostly healed. He would need help later but not tonight.

The two ANBU women leaped silently.

The leader carried the poisoned dignitary.

_...troublesome woman..._


	4. Treatment

**Author's Note: **This is a pretty long chapter and I had to cut it down! Part of the reason that it's so long is because I reiterated the first chapter. (It is slightly different wording but retains the same feelings.)

Please feel free to send me and suggestions or questions! Happy reading!

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

_What's going on? What happened? Who's carrying me? _

_Where's Yuka? Where's Akira? _

_I have to get out of here! I have to find them! I have to get to Iwagakure! _

_I can't move! Why can't I move?_

Panic and fear start to creep into the woman's thoughts, pushing out the usual confidence that exudes from her body. Not being able to control herself, the worst fears of any woman start to invade her mind like a virus.

_Where are they taking me? Who are they? What are they planning on doing?_

_STOP!_

_Calm down. This isn't the first time you've been kidnapped. Assess as much of the situation as you can before anything else happens._

_Can't open my eyes…can't see anything. _

_Can't move my body…can't feel around. _

_I can feel the body holding me. Too muscular to be female. He's holding me close. He knows that I'll fight back as soon as I'm able. He's cautious._

_I can feel the breeze as we move. Each leap he makes, each breathe he takes._

_I can hear leaves moving. _

_Three…no, four people jumping through the trees. I can hear the crunch of bark under their feet every so often; each one is different than the others._

_Akira isn't here. I can usually smell him from miles away. It's no wonder we were so easily tracked. I can't believed he's lived this long._

_Yuka isn't here either. There's a flowery scent, but it's isn't like Yuka's tulip smell. It may be shampoo or soap but it definitely isn't anything a man would use! I hate to think that I let myself get taken by a bunch of women! How lame! What kind of ninja am I?_

_I hope my team is okay. These nin will pay if my team is dead…_

_Focus, Temari! Assess the situation._

_One of them smells of oil. Not just any oil. Oil used to clean weapons. For me to be able to smell it, it means they've cleaned a lot of weapons recently._

_This guy carrying me doesn't have musky or manly smell to him like Akira does. It's fresh and crisp like…sweet grass._

_I can't distinguish the smell of the last one._

_The air is humid. I can smell it. I can feel it on my skin. I'm in a forest._

_I'm definitely not in Wind Country anymore. I need my eyesight for more._

After what seemed like hours, a little hope surfaces. She's able to drag her right eye open slightly.

_Ah! It's so blurry! How am I supposed to figure a way out of this situation if I can't see?! _

Slowly the images become sharper. Lines start to appear where blobs of color used to be. It's night, that much she can tell. A lighter colored blob starts to appear. She guesses this is the face of her transporter.

_It may be night but even in the darkness I can tell that's too pale to be human._

She can almost make out a face.

_This has to be a dream…that's definitely not human._

_NO! It's a mask!_

Looking down to her captor's left shoulder, she saw the elitist's tattoo.

Her body was starting to obey her will. Every muscle tensed as both eyes shot open at her sudden realization, confusion and shock written on her face.

Before she could even form words, a hand appeared inches from her face. It was glowing with green chakra.

She wanted to scream but her mouth wouldn't move. Her body was numb again. She started to slip off into another deep sleep.

_Don't you know who I am?! _

_We are allies! How can the Hokage order you to kidnap a dignitary of an allied nation?! _

_Let me go!_

_The Kazekage won't take kindly to Konoha's ANBU forcefully taking his sister!_

* * *

"She'll be asleep for several hours now," the woman with a rabbit mask on commented to her superior as she retracted her hand from the unconscious woman's face.

"Good. It would only be troublesome if she woke up," he responded.

"I'm going on ahead now that you don't need me. I'll bring the antidote as soon as it's ready."

The leader turned his eyes slightly to the left, observing the man travelling beside him.

_For him to slow down this much means he must be in immense pain._

"Take him with you; make sure he's fully recovered before he comes back," he said, nudging his head toward the man.

"Got it."

She leapt toward the infamous Beast of Konoha.

The four person squad soon split. The rabbit and tiger masked shinobi headed toward the Hidden Leaf Village while the cat and hawk masked shinobi headed further into the forest of the Fire Country.

_Uh…my head. I feel so groggy. What happened?_

"Ugh…"

The blond kunoichi groaned as she tried to roll over.

She blinked her eyes.

_Everything's so blurry._

As her eyes started to focus, she saw that she was in some sort of rectangular wood room looking at a ceiling. There were skylights letting the sun in but it looked as though it was turning to dusk; she could see the sky between the trees was a bright orange and it cast a golden hue into the space around her.

She was lying on a bed, her head near a corner of the room. There was a wall to her right.

"Oh, you're awake, huh?" camefrom a voice to her left.

Slowly turning her head toward the voice, Temari saw a figure lying on something. Squinting her eyes, she realized there was another bed about 10 feet away. The figure was lying on its side with long blond hair, a green jacket, dark pants and was moving its arms around like it was…

…_playing cards?_

"...Tsunade?" Temari voiced softly.

"Yeah. You gave us quite a scare, Temari."

Putting down the cards, Tsunade swung her legs to the floor and sat up.

Temari attempted to sit up as well.

"AH!"

Temari's face contorted as pain shot through her body, radiating from her head and midsection. She raised her hands to grasp at the offending parts, trying to make the pain subside, but was stopped.

_What? Ah! It hurts!_

She looked down her arms, then her legs. Paper seals had been placed across her wrists, ankles and clothed thighs. Fury started to numb the pain she was feeling and she raised her head and shoulders off the low mattress.

"Why am I restrained?" she shouted.

"For your own good," Tsunade replied indifferently.

Tsunade got up, walked across the short distance and knelt beside Temari's bed. Placing her now glowing hands on Temari's forehead and midsection, she added at little extra pressure to force the girl to lie down again.

"Since I couldn't bring anyone else with me, I had to keep you from thrashing somehow while I removed the poison. Plus, if you woke up unsupervised and unrestrained, you would've run straight out the door, injuring yourself more in the process. We couldn't risk that."

She removed her hands. Temari's grimace had vanished but the scowl remained.

"Poison? What the hell is going on? We're allies!" Temari spat.

With the pain gone, Temari was able to lift her shoulders off the bed and move into a slightly awkward sitting position with her legs straight out in front of her and her hands held on either side.

"Yes, we're allies. We weren't the ones to poison you. We were the ones that came to your rescue. If the team hadn't picked you up when they did, you wouldn't have made it back."

"Who's 'they'?"

"The ANBU team assigned to protect you."

"Protect me? They attacked us!"

"That's something you'll have to discuss with them. Well, goodbye."

Tsunade stood and walked toward the door next to the bed she had been lounging on.

"You're welcome, by the way," she said over her shoulder.

"You're leaving me here like this?" Temari said with shock and distain.

Tsunade turned to face her.

"Yes. I'll let them know you're awake. I suggest you calm down. I doubt they'll be willing to release you with that temper of yours," Tsunade added with a slight smirk on her face as she opened the door.

She walked out but as she closed the door she paused. She stuck her hear back in, a grin on her face.

"Oh, and Temari?"

"What?" she snapped.

"Don't cause too much trouble, huh?" Tsunade said, her grin growing as she spoke.

And with that, she closed the door behind her.

Temari sat glaring at the door Tsunade had exited from.

_What is going on here? It doesn't make sense. I know they attacked us, I saw it with my own two eyes!_

_But then why did they heal me? Not only that, Tsunade was the one to do it!_

_Is it because of Suna's leadership? The treaty? Iwa?_

_Wind and Fire Countries have been allies for years._

_Negotiations run smoothly. Demands are low key and met adequately on both sides. _

_Although, Gaara and Kakashi have never been on friendly terms, there's a mutual respect._

_What does Konoha have to gain by disrupting treaty negotiations? _

_If they wanted to, they could bring war between the two nations. Is that why?_

_Whatever is it, they shouldn't have known that I was traveling!_

_Where did they get their information? _

_Damn Konoha!_

Straining her brain was causing a dull ache in her head to form, even though she just had medical attention. She decided to become more familiar with her surroundings before any of her captors came in.

She looked around her.

There was a simple wood fireplace nestled into the wall between the two beds. The heads of the beds were on the same wall as the fireplace, the beds running along opposite walls.

The empty bed, the door that Tsunade had exited from and a small kitchen took up one side of the rectangular room. The other side was only adorned with her bed, a rectangular table with two dark blue cushions and a door, which she assumed to be the bathroom.

The kitchen was small and simple: a sink, stove/oven, small refrigerator and some various cabinets.

_Obviously only meant for two people. It may be a safe house or lookout post._

_I have a find a way out of here soon._

* * *

Tsunade stopped a few feet outside the door.

Looking around the trees surrounding her, she spotted a man slightly to her right. He stood at the base of a large tree, his left side facing her, shoulders slouched, eyes to the sky, hands buried in his pockets and a hawk mask covering his face.

Tsunade chuckled to herself and walked over to him. He had always given off such an uncaring aura.

"Hey! Your turn," Tsunade said as she approached him.

"Eh?" he mumbled as he turned to face her. "You're done already, huh?"

"Yeah. Man, I forgot how bad her temper was!"

The man chuckled at her misfortune.

"She's awake then?"

"Yeah. I was hoping she wouldn't remember anything while I was there but she did. She hasn't quite got her wits about her but once she does, you know she'll have a lot of questions."

"Doesn't mean that I can't avoid them as long as possible," he said lazily.

Tsunade smirked at her companion.

"Does she need anything?" he added.

"There's a small amount of poison left that needs to work itself out. By the way, thanks for helping with the extraction. The drugs in her system from before are almost out as well. They're probably the reason she's still a little out of it and had trouble in that fight. She was drugged well before she was poisoned. She will need to be treated for the pain after a while. She doesn't have any choice but to rest in there. Make sure she eats well to get her strength back."

"...what a pain..." he said with a sigh.

Tsunade laughed and started her journey back to the village.

"Hey, Tsunade-sama!" the man called out after her.

She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him.

"Thanks."

A sly grin crept across her face.

"You're not getting soft on me, are you, Shikamaru?"

"Ugh..." he said as he turned his head to the side, a clear indication that her question affected him like she wanted.

She laughed and gave a slight wave as she turned and walked back to Konoha.

"See you around, kid!"

"Yeah," he grunted.

He walked around the small cabin to where his partner was positioned on the other side.

"Hey, go take a break, she's awake now."

"You want ME to explain everything?" she said as she turned to face him.

"Just tell her the basics. She doesn't need to worry about trying to figure it all out right now."

"Do I _have_ to break the seals?" the girl pouted through her cat mask, shoulders slumping.

"No…"

Immediately the girls' body perked up.

"…but you'll have to feed her and clean up after her if she doesn't get to go to the bathroom," he said nonchalantly

"Eww…"

_I know she doesn't want to do it but there's no way I'm going in there just yet._

_If she realizes who I am, I'm done for. _

_Temari won't need her fan to kill me if she thinks I poisoned her, attacked her, or worse yet, if she realizes that I carried her here and helped Tsunade hold her down while she extracted the poison._

"But, you'll be left alone! What if an enemy attacks and you can't hold them off?" Tenten tried.

"I'm not alone and if you're worried, keep your headset on," he said carelessly.

She had lost.

"Fine," the woman finally said," but you owe me."

_Trust me, I know._

He gave a slight nod and they both turned and walked to their destinations.

_I better stay close in case Temari gets out of hand._

He hopped onto a limb with a clear view of the door that his teammate had just reached.

* * *

Temari heard the footsteps on the other side of the door and tensed. The scowl on her face tightened as the door opened, revealing a shinobi in the traditional Konoha ANBU attire. The elitist's tattoo on the right shoulder indicated that this ninja was a woman.

_She isn't the flowery smelling one. She smells of weapon oil._

_So, there are two women on this team? Interesting._

_She's wearing a cat mask. The ears are rounded though. _

_Wait, is that her hair?_

_Could that be…?_

Temari tried to hide her confusion and curiosity with her scowl as the woman entered the room and closed the door behind her.

"Temari-san, I'm sorry for the restraints. If you will promise not to attack, I'll be happy to release them."

"Do you really think this idiotic plan will work?" Temari spat.

The woman didn't reply but made her way over to the kitchen. She opened a few cabinets and the refrigerator.

Temari couldn't really see what she was doing as the woman's back was to her, blocking her view. She glared at the back of the woman's head instead.

Dishes clinked. The water ran. The stove was turned on. Within a few minutes the masked woman turned around and made her way to Temari's side.

She held a tray with two cups of tea and two plates of food.

Temari's stomach clenched. She stared at the food.

_Oh, I'm hungry._

"Why don't we call a truce while we eat? I'll tell you what I can and if you aren't satisfied, you can attack then, okay?" the masked woman asked.

_I'm no good in this state, I'm too weak to fight anyone._

_It's better to make this deal and be able to gain more strength._

"Fine," she agreed.

"Great!"

Temari finally looked up from the tray to the woman holding it.

_They're buns on the top of her head!_

_Is it…_

"…Tenten?"

The woman chuckled then slid her mask up to the top of her head to reveal she was indeed Tenten. She grinned at the invalid as she made signs to release the seals.

"Guess I should've known you'd figure it out. Definitely makes it easier to eat without that mask," Tenten observed.

Now that the seals were released, Temari turned on the bed. She crossed her legs and leaned her back against the wall.

_I'm weaker than I thought. I can barely move._

_I don't want to think that Konoha did this. _

_I can't fight yet so maybe I can get some information from her._

Tenten sat on the floor next to the bed and handed Temari a plate of food which the latter took gratefully.

"Itadakimasu," Tenten said and both girls started eating.

"Well, start talking," Temari said after a few bites.

"Oh, right." Tenten took another quick bite.

"We received an emergency report a couple days ago that some rogue nin were hired to stop the treaty between Wind and Earth Countries. Then we received a report that the Sand Ambassador had left Suna that morning. Hokage-sama decided to act on the information so he sent out three ANBU teams. We were the ones sent to find you. When we did find you, you were already engaged in battle. Our only objective was to retrieve you."

Tenten was surprised that she summed it up so easily. It definitely didn't come out that well in her head.

Temari had listened intently but continued eating the entire time and was nearly done with her food.

"If you were only sent to retrieve me, why did you attack?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?!" Temari's eyes were wide with shock and her jaw had dropped.

"I was ordered to. I don't know why but I'm sure he had a good reason to tell us that." Tenten looked slightly apologetic.

"Who ordered you to?" Temari said, still in shock.

"The squad leader."

"Does this leader of yours have a name?" Temari's voice was growing louder.

"You know I can't tell you that Temari-san," Tenten replied softly.

_Damn it! When I get my hands on him…_

"Where's my team?" Temari said.

"I don't know."

"Are the nin that attacked us dead?"

"I doubt it."

"Who are they?"

"I don't know."

"Well, who hired them?"

"I don't know."

"Where were they from?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know anything?!" Temari yelled, exasperated.

There was a moment of silence as Tenten rose, took the dishes to the sink, slid her mask back down and strode to the door. She switched on the lights since it had gotten dark and looked back at Temari before opening the door.

"Please don't try to leave. I don't want to have to restrain you again. We'll let you know more as soon as we can," Tenten said, then disappeared from the room.

_Damn it!_

Temari sighed heavily.

_I can't wait until I have my strength back._

She sat there for a while, looking around again. The sun had set but she couldn't sleep, she wasn't tired. She was still too weak to walk around and gather more information so she just looked at the ceiling and lay back on the bed, trying to remember exactly what had happened to her in the last few days.

* * *

Tenten walked straight to her leader, jumping up to his position in a tree.

"Well that went nicely! She's pretty hostile. You'll have to go in there pretty soon and calm her down. She's going to make a run for it, whether she's healthy or not, if you don't," she said as calmly as she could.

"Probably," he said with a bit of a nostalgic tone.

"Go ahead and sleep for a few hours. Temari will need to be treated again so you and the other troublesome woman in our squad will need to switch off so she can do her job," he said casually.

"Oh, our comrade is back then?" Tenten inquired, ignoring his prejudiced comment.

"Yeah, she got back soon after you went inside."

"Did she mention how Konoha's beast is holding up?" she asked.

"He's fine. He has to stay in the hospital tonight but will meet us in the morning. Now, go sleep."

"Okay."

Tenten, now satisfied, dashed to the ground and lay down on a patch of cool grass under a large tree. She was asleep within a few minutes.

The hours rolled on quietly outside the small cabin, only the bugs and animals occasionally making soft noises. In the early morning hours, Tenten rose and made her way toward a figure in a rabbit mask that held her previous position in the woods.

"You ready for a nap?"

The woman started at the sound of her comrade's voice.

"Oh, sorry, were you already sleeping?" Tenten teased when she noticed that the woman had jumped.

"I just didn't hear you coming up, that's all," she insisted.

"Right," Tenten said while rolling her eyes.

"Did you come just to harass me?"

"No, you're supposed to head in to check on Temari," Tenten said casually.

"I'm sure she's in pain again. You taking over for me?" the woman said as she moved toward the shelter.

"Yes. Be careful in there, she's had a lot of time to think."

"I will," came from the mask as the woman broke into a jog.

* * *

Temari hadn't moved much while alone. She had been lost in her thoughts. She still couldn't put all the clues together in an orderly sense.

_What would Konoha have to gain? They're peaceful with both countries. _

_If war broke out, would they stay out of it or side with one of us?_

The footsteps outside drew her attention.

"Hey, how are you feeling, Temari-san?" said the voice from the rabbit mask as it entered the room.

Temari eyed the woman. She was rather tall and had long blond hair pulled back in a single pony tail but other than that, you wouldn't be able to distinguish her from any other female ANBU member.

"I'm fine," was Temari's curt reply.

"Not in any pain, huh?"

Temari pushed off the bed onto her elbows and immediately fell right back down, clenching her stomach.

"Ah, maybe you should let me take care of that," the woman said.

"Uh…" was all Temari could get out.

The woman walked over, knelt and moved her hands over Temari's stomach.

_The flowery smelling one._

_This smell is so familiar. It isn't just one flower like most perfumes and soaps, it's a mixture. _

_It's like being in a field or garden or…a flower shop._

_Who was that kunoichi that worked at the flower shop in Konoha? _

_She had the same hair style. She was a medical nin too._

_I don't remember her being a great shinobi._

_What was her name…_

"Ino?" Temari asked warily.

"Yeah?" the woman asked.

_Right again._

"How long have you been in ANBU?" Temari asked.

"Oh! A while now, a couple years at least."

Ino realized that she hadn't removed her mask and moved to do so after she finished the treatment. She looked just as Temari remembered her.

"Oh," was all Temari could muster for a reply, still wondering how she had become a member of ANBU.

Temari cleared her throat to get control of herself.

"Have you found anything out?" Temari asked as Ino made her way to the kitchen.

_I hope she makes some tea-my throat it killing me._

"No, we should get our reports near daybreak. If there's anything we can act upon, you'll be left here alone…well, not really alone but our team won't be here."

Ino walked back over to Temari with some tea and cups on a tray. She sat down next to Temari's bed, handing a cup over and then drinking from her own.

"Trust me, you don't want to ask about who…or what…will be watching over you…" Ino continued.

_Yep, that's her. Boy does she like to talk._

_I feel sorry for anyone who's ever had to team up with her._

_That's right, she was on a team with Shikamaru and Chouji._

_Shikamaru._

_I haven't thought about him for quite a while. I wonder if he's even still alive._

Temari chuckled to herself.

_Of course he's still alive; he's too lazy to get into any real trouble!_

Ino, oblivious to the fact that Temari was lost in her own thoughts, continued to talk.

"…anyway, we'll let you know before we leave. You'll need to stay here, although, it doesn't look like you'll be up for traveling very far in the next few days. Your wound has healed tremendously but it was pretty deep and is still pretty tender, as I'm sure you've noticed. I'm going to head out now and since you are so worn out, I'd like to sedate you," Ino said as she retrieved the cups and tea, carrying the tray back to the sink.

"No," was Temari's firm response.

"Why not?" Ino asked, slightly surprised.

Temari sighed.

"I don't like how my body responds when I wake up. It's slow and awkward...I'd rather let my body go to sleep naturally," Temari stated.

"Suit yourself. I'll see you later, Temari-san," Ino didn't even wait for a reply, knowing that she would only receive a glare from the injured woman.

She replaced her mask and exited the building.

* * *

Now outside, Ino headed to her squad leader to give him an update.

He was in plain sight as he hadn't left the tree she, and Tenten, had found him in before. She jumped up to talk to him.

"I treated her injury. She's handling the pain pretty well and even refused to be sedated," she told him.

_Damn woman always has to be in control._

_I bet she hates the fact that all she can do is sit in there._

Shikamaru smirked under his mask.

"She's anxious to get information though so I hope something surfaces, for your sake."

"Why my sake?" he questioned.

"Probably because you're the only one who really knows what's going on."

_Once she's recovered, she definitely won't just sit and listen._

_She's probably planning her escape already._

_That doesn't leave me much time._

"…what a pain…" he groaned.

Ino laughed as she turned away from him.

"I'm going to sleep for a little while. You better take a turn too."

_Troublesome woman, always bossing me around._

"Yeah," was all he said.

Ino bounced out of the tree and settled herself on the ground near the hut in a patch of thick grass.

_Why do I always have to deal with the women?_

* * *

Now that the pain had subsided, Temari resolved to get out of bed. Slowly, she turned on her bed, placing her bare feet on the wood floor. After taking a deep breath, she cautiously supported her body with her legs. Taking step after step, Temari drew herself around the space, inspecting everything a little closer. However, there wasn't much worth noting.

_No pictures on the wall._

_Enough wood placed near the fireplace for a few days in winter._

_Enough dry food for a week._

_The refrigerator has been stocked recently. All this food is fresh. By the looks of these fish, it's only been three days or so. Did they stock it before they set out?_

_There's polish and oil for most weapons. _

_The medical kit is stocked nicely._

_Plenty of toiletries, towels, bedding…_

_There's nothing personal about this place, no homey touches._

_Nothing interesting to look at…_

_Nothing to do…_

Having made her way around the room, Temari turned down the lights and sat back on the bed, exhaling a breath she didn't know she had held while lowering herself.

_Woo! That took way too much out of me. _

_There's no way I'm getting out of here tomorrow. I'll have to take it easy so it'll only take another day._

Temari lay down on the bed, only to stare at the ceiling again.

_Whoever their squad leader is, he sure has planned out quite a bit._

_If I didn't hate him, I might be impressed._

She lay there for hours until she finally dozed off.

* * *

The kunoichi sleeping in the grass outside the wood cabin awoke after a four hour nap. She headed back to her leader so he could get some rest before the night ended.

"I guess it's your turn," she said on arrival of the branch where he sat.

"Guess so," he mumbled.

He stood and stretched slowly, yawning loudly and causing Ino to sigh in annoyance.

Shikamaru dropped to the forest floor, looked around his immediate surroundings then plopped to the ground. Interlocking his fingers, he placed them behind his head and lowered himself to the ground.

His eyes were closed but Ino's were wide open in shock. She lunged to the ground.

"What are you doing?! Aren't you going to go in and check on her?" she questioned.

"Nope," he replied, eyes still closed.

"Why not? I thought you were friends," she said hoping to play on his conscience.

"...too troublesome..." he said as he yawned, yet again.

"Fine," Ino spat and leapt right back into the tree he had occupied all night.

_Trust me, Ino, it'll be better if I've slept before she tries to murder me._

_I need as much rest as I can get to deal with her normally, but when she's angry..._


	5. Meetings

The air was cool and damp. The crickets had fallen asleep and the birds were chirping the beginnings of their morning songs. The sky that was the darkest blue was lightening with every passing moment. The man lying in the grass didn't need to open his eyes to know that daybreak was fast approaching.

_Ugh…we'll need to leave soon. Guess I need to tell Temari._

He squinted his eyes while slowly opening them, not wanting to let the light in. His face scrunched in confusion, then annoyance when he recognized the cat and rabbit peering down at him.

"Oh, I see you're finally awake," said Tenten in a sing-song voice.

_Now I really don't want to get up!_

"Hmph," he grunted as he rolled onto his side.

"Ugh…someone's a little too chipper early in the morning," Ino added drily. "Hey, Shikamaru, when's our relief coming?"

Shikamaru sighed. He rolled onto his back and then sat up. He yawned loudly as he stretched.

"I don't know," he mumbled.

Ino reached down and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him to his feet.

"What do you mean, you don't know? We better not have to wait all day!" Ino said through clenched teeth.

_This is going to be a troublesome day._

He took a deep breath.

"We don't need to wait for them. They'll get here easily and it's not like Temari's going anywhere yet," he said casually.

"Fine," she spat as she let him go, slightly pushing him away. "Don't stay in there too long. We need to get going."

_If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was leading this mission._

_I better get this over with._

"Good luck," Tenten said with a small shrug of her shoulders as she and Ino headed back to their lookout points.

He took yet another deep breath and walked to the hut. He paused at the door.

_I hope she's asleep. I'd rather catch her off guard, before she gains her composure than deal with her_ _attempting to attack me, even if she is weak right now._

_She's going to have so many questions…what a pain._

He cracked the door open slowly. Peeking inside, he saw that she was lying in bed with her back to the door.

_She's in bed, but is she asleep?_

He tip-toed inside, silently shutting the door behind him.

"Hmm…"

He stopped in his tracks, halfway between the door and her bed, keeping one foot in front of the other in case she spotted him.

She was rolling over.

_I'm dead! If she sees me now, she'll think I'm a pervert watching her sleep. She won't even wait for an_ _explanation!_

He held his breath until Temari settled down, this time lying on her back with the arm closest to him draped above her head. Her eyes remained shut and her breathing was slow and steady.

Shikamaru sighed deeply.

_This woman…_

He inched forward slightly. He'd been around her quite a bit in the last 3 days. Yet in all that time, he hadn't really looked at her. He had been too involved with developing his strategy and making sure she was safe.

_What's happened to you, Temari?_

He'd seen her a few times over the years. Their respective missions ended up coinciding in the same village or area every once in a while. There was even one time that his ANBU team had backed her up.

This woman wasn't even a mask of the one he befriended. Sure, some of the differences were due to the weak state her body was in, but not enough to fool him. She'd aged, just like the rest of them, but somehow it wasn't in the same manner.

Even as she slept he could see that her features had hardened. Her jaw was clenched and her body rigid. There was no longer room in her life for nonsense or play…not even time to relax.

She was, once again, the cruel kunoichi he'd first met at the chuunin exams so long ago.

_Geez, she was scary before! I don't even want to deal with her now that she's stronger!_

_Guess I don't have a choice. This is going to be troublesome…_

He took several steps back and put his hands in his pockets.

_This should be far enough._

"Hey," he said in a voice louder than normal.

Temari bolted out of bed, eyes wide, taking in the scene before her. Her hair was askew from days of bed rest and torturous medical treatments.

Shikamaru smirked behind mask at the sight of her worried face and physical appearance.

"You!" she bellowed in anger, pointing a finger in his direction.

_Crap! She's recognized me already?_

"I see you're feeling better," he said as calmly as he could.

"Well enough not to need any more of Konoha's help," she sneered. "I need to get back to my village."

"I can't let you do that yet," he said carelessly.

"Of course not. Tell me, how long do you plan on keeping me hostage?" she asked almost sarcastically.

"We're keeping you safe," he said as he sighed.

"Really, by poisoning me and separating me from my comrades?"

"You've already been told that we had nothing to do with you being poisoned and we had good reason to separate you from them," he said calmly.

"Nothing that Ino or Tenten said could convince me that Konoha is innocent in this matter. For all I know, you could all be lying. Thanks, but I think I'll be safer with people I trust!" Temari spat.

_How could Ino and Tenten have been so careless to expose themselves?_

"Trust, huh? Like you teammates, right?" he said, his voice rising and his body straightening.

She glared at him, curious to where he was going with this and also daring him to continue.

"Yes, like my teammates," she said. "It's a bond someone like you will probably never understand."

_Temari knows me better than that. She must not have recognized me after all…_

He sighed, already sorry that he'd gotten into this before he had heard the other teams' reports.

_I'll just have to guide her thoughts._

"How do you think you ended up poisoned?" he questioned.

"Those nin must have poisoned me since you profess to be innocent?"

"There was only one person with a poisoned blade that night. He happened to be one of your comrades," he said.

"Akira," she breathed out, her eyes widening.

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders and looked away from her. He hadn't wanted to be so blunt about it but it couldn't be helped. Now he didn't want to look at her, fearing the look her face may hold. He watched her from the corner of his eye.

"If that's his name," he said.

It was only a moment, but he saw it. She almost trusted him…

_She must not have a great deal of respect for that guy._

"That could've easily been an accident," she said adamantly, regaining her composure.

Shikamaru's eyes darted over to her as he lifted his head abruptly.

_How can she be defending him?_

Her statement had struck him to the core. He would never put any woman in harms' way, but especially not a teammate…or a friend. He had no respect for this man who not only let her get hurt, he caused it.

_It's a man's job to protect a woman._

But he knew he couldn't say it out loud.

_She'll know who I am right away._

_I need her to stay in the dark a little while longer. I don't need her questioning and insulting me for the entire mission. _

_Ino and Tenten don't have to worry about her taking her rage out on them. It was a dumb move on their part anyway. They know how dangerous it is to expose their identities to any other nation, even if it's an allied one._

"You're not one that's easily wounded. You normally fight from a distance but you have good reflexes. Don't you wonder why your jutsu was having little effect on your attackers or how you got that gash in your stomach?" he said with more emotion, unable to control himself. His hands even came out of his pockets.

"You sure do seem to know a lot about me," she observed, it coming out as a question.

_I've fought you, analyzed you, teamed with you, protected you…_

"It's my job to know," he stated simply, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

She was silent for a moment, thinking.

"The other nin were strong-"

"No," he said cutting her off.

"I was concentrating on them. I wasn't watching Akira, I would've dodged it if I hadn't been distracted," she said, angry that he'd interrupted her.

"Doubtful."

"What are you implying?" she spat.

"You were drugged before they attacked."

"Impossible!" she snapped.

"You're lucky you were! Whoever did it was probably trying to make it easier to grab you but it wasn't enough to avoid a fight. You were unable to regulate chakra, your attacks were weak, your responses lagged and your brain processes were slow but…it slowed the poison's effect. It gave us several extra hours that Tsunade-sama was grateful for. She had a hard enough time as it was."

She dropped onto the bed speechless, staring at the floor.

"No one should have known that you were traveling yet they seemed to find you easily and attack you when you were weak. We received information of your movement from spies in the Land of Grass. There are traitors among you and the signs lead to one of them being in your team."

She sat silently, not looking at him.

"The Kazekage was notified with the information we received as well as a basic plan. He's suspicious of a traitor as well and has put his full trust in us. You have no reason not to."

He paused to see if she was listening. She didn't move but he could see that she was concentrating, not just sitting aimlessly.

"We have a meeting with the Hokage. I'll expect you to brief me on your comrades when I get back. There will be another team standing guard. Don't leave."

Temari nodded absently.

He took this as his cue to leave.

* * *

Temari sat lost in her thoughts, trying to make sense of the last 20 minutes.

That man had woken her up so rudely and then questioned Akira and Yuka's loyalty. The worst part was that it made sense.

_Akira and Yuka had plenty of opportunities to drug my food and drink._

_But there are others too…the lady in the inn made our lunch that day. My food could've even been tainted before I left Suna._

_I can't point fingers at them so easily. They may still be innocent. They may even be scapegoats._

_How can that bastard accuse them so easily?_

_Because it isn't one of his own, that's why._

_Can I really trust Konoha? How do I know they aren't behind it all?_

_It would be a good strategy on their part. Kidnap me, lie to me to gain my trust, I tell them "useful" information, then they use it against us._

_If they tell Gaara they have no idea where I am but they're searching, then the treaty will halt, war could ensue and Konoha could profit greatly._

_They could even tell him that another country was holding me, or killed me._

_Gaara is smarter than that though…_

_Konoha would profit from a war but not as much as they do now with Suna as an ally._

_Plus, the Hokage is peaceful. He avoids fighting until it's necessary._

_It just doesn't make sense that they'd be behind it._

_Still, they haven't given me any proof they're telling me the truth…_

She stood and made her way to the bathroom. It had been too long since she had a shower. After she started the water, she took a look in the mirror.

_Ah! I look horrible!_

Her normally tanned skin was a sickly pale color. Her lips were colorless. Even with all the rest she'd gotten, her eyes were dark and lifeless. On the other hand, her hair seemed to have a life of its' own. The four ties were still there but with all the tossing and turning she'd done, they held very little hair. The hair that had come loose was crimped and knotted from previously being held and laid upon.

_I don't even let my brothers see me like this!_

Turning away in disgust, she grabbed the necessary items to rid herself of the grime encompassing her body. She stepped into the shower and scrubbed herself clean.

_Oh why did he have to wake me up? He caught me off guard!_

_I can usually sense chakra nearby but…I didn't even realize he was in the room._

_I hope it was just an effect of the drugs or poison!_

When she was done, instead of redressing in her filthy clothes, she found a set of men's clothing, a black shirt and pair of black pants. They were too big for her but the fact that they were as clean as she was now instantly make her feel closer to her normal self.

_Much better._

She tied her hair up in the normal manner, sighed and made her way to the kitchen. She made herself something to eat and heated some tea. She sat at the table and ate quickly, realizing how hungry she was.

After she finished, she washed her dishes and put them away. She sat back at the table and looked at the door.

_I almost convinced myself that man was Shikamaru._

_His lazy stance, hands in his pockets, dark eyes and that dark haired pony tail…_

_Of course, most Konoha men are lazy. And the hair style isn't all that uncommon. _

_He's taller than I remember Shikamaru being but that's not enough to dismiss the likeness._

_It wasn't the same voice but that could've easily changed over the years._

His voice wasn't smooth like Akira's; it was deep and rough yet he made it sound so relaxed. She had felt heat spread from the middle of her chest the more he spoke. She even felt it now just thinking about him. She couldn't help closing her eyes and trying to breath in his cool scent.

She instantly shook her head and exhaled sharply, focusing her eyes on the door once again.

_He's not important…_

_I even could've overlooked such a lazy man being in ANBU…_

…_But Shikamaru wouldn't have talked to me so condescendingly._

She snickered.

_Shikamaru's too much of a coward._

_

* * *

  
_

"Well, now that we're all here, let's get started," Kakashi said lazily, leaning back against the windows behind his desk.

On the other side of the room stood eleven ANBU members. Three were in front of the others, obviously the squad leaders of the three teams.

"How is the Ambassador?" the Hokage asked the man in the middle.

"As troublesome as ever," Shikamaru responded through a sigh.

After a few snickers from the others, he continued.

"She's recovering like expected. Whatever she was drugged with is gone and most of the poison is out as well. She's still in a weakened state but we won't be able to hold her here much longer. Three days at most."

"I'm sure you left her in capable hands?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yeah, my dad and Kurenai are around. She's in our part of the forest anyway so the deer will protect her," Shikamaru answered.

"I see. What do we know about the nin they encountered?" Kakashi said, turning his head to the raccoon masked man to Shikamaru's left.

"Decent earth based jutsu. We tracked them to Kusagakure. They've stayed put for a while now. No messages have gone in or out. Konchuu stayed back to keep an eye on them."

"Good. His presence won't be compromised and he'll send word quickly with any new information," Kakashi observed. "What about the other Suna shinobi?"

Shikamaru tensed, feeling the anger bubbling inside him. He hated the fact that a shinobi he knew had been betrayed by a teammate.

This time, a man from the back stepped forward, addressing the Hokage.

"I tracked them back to Suna. They made no stops along the way."

"Hm. I believe we can leave them to the Kazekage," Kakashi stated. "Who left first the unknown nin or the Suna nin?"

"The unknown nin. They didn't bother with the ones from Suna at all. Once they regained consciousness, they left," the man from the back responded again.

"Why hasn't anyone tried to contact the boss though?" Kakashi mumbled.

He asked the question more to himself but having already contemplated the information, Shikamaru decided to answer.

"If his reasons for halting the treaty are important enough to harm a Suna ambassador, I don't think that this is the end. I can think of 2 logical reasons they wouldn't contact him. Either they're running from him, which obviously isn't the case, or they already have orders if they happened to fail. Do we know anything about him yet?"

The man to his right shook his skunk mask.

"No, there have been no new clues," he said.

"Even so, we have the upper hand right now. We are aware of his intentions but he is unaware of ours. The next attempt to prevent the treaty will most likely be an attack on the Kazekage and his traveling party while in route. If they fail again, which is practically assured considering the targets, they may lead us to the leader then," Shikamaru deduced. "Of course that is if the Kazekage leaves them alive."

"Or he may not be pulling the strings. It would have been easier for him to hand over the money and entrust the scheme to his hired hands' discretion," Kakashi interjected.

Shikamaru shrugged.

"Maybe."

The Hokage's eyes narrowed on Shikamaru, not out of malice, just putting the pieces together to make a decision on the best way to move forward.

After a few moments of silence, the Hokage spoke. Not being one to obey the rules (or remember code names), he addressed his subordinates by their real names.

"Alright. Shikamaru, Neji, Lee-you go meet up with the Kazekage. He left yesterday around noon for Iwa. Update him and get instructions concerning Temari-san. The rest of you, get some sleep and report back tonight."

A round of curt nods met him before they all disappeared.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait and shorter chapter. I hope no one is too disappointed! Updates should come a lot sooner in the next few weeks. Please send me your suggestions!


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